Leisure chair with a footrest unit

Abstract

A leisure chair includes a seat movably mounted on top of a base. The seat includes a front rod extending between two lateral rods. A backrest is connected to the rear side of the seat. A footrest unit includes at least one first link and at least one second link. Forward movement of the seat causes the at least one first link and the at least one second link to pivot and causes the footrest unit to fold and move to the storage position below the seat. The at least one first link and the at least one second link form a folded part of the footrest unit. Rearward movement of the seat causes the at least one first link and the at least one second link to pivot and extend and causes the footrest to extend and move to the extended position in front of the seat.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A leisure chair with a footrest unit, comprising:
 a base adapted to be placed on a ground, with the base including a horizontal rod having two ends spaced from each other in a width direction, with the horizontal rod including a front supporting portion extending forwards from the horizontal rod and located between the two ends of the horizontal rod, and with an armrest adapted to be mounted to each of the two ends of the horizontal rod; 
 a seat mounted on top of the base and including a front side and a rear side, with the seat including two lateral rods spaced from each other in the width direction and a front rod extending between the two lateral rods, and with the seat movable relative to the base in a forward/rearward direction perpendicular to the width direction between a front position and a rear position; 
 a backrest connected to the rear side of the seat; 
 a footrest unit movable between a storage position and an extended position spaced from the storage position in the forward/rearward direction, with the footrest unit including at least one first link, at least one second link, a first pivotal frame, a third link, a second pivotal frame, at least one fourth link, and at least one connection frame, with each of the at least one first link and the at least one second link pivotably connected to a front end of the front supporting portion, with a front side of the first pivotal frame in the storage position pivotably connected to the at least one first link, the at least one second link, and the front side of the seat, with a front end of the third link in the storage position pivotably connected to the front side of the seat, with a rear side of the second pivotal frame in the storage position pivotably connected to a rear side of the first pivotal frame and a rear end of the third link, with a rear end of the at least one fourth link in the storage position pivotably connected to the rear side of the first pivotal frame, with a front side of the at least one connection frame in the storage position pivotably connected to a front side of the second pivotal frame, and with a rear side of the at least one connection frame in the storage position pivotably connected to a front end of the at least one fourth link; 
 wherein forward movement of the seat causes the at least one first link and the at least one second link to pivot and causes the footrest unit to fold and move to the storage position below the seat, and the at least one first link and the at least one second link form a folded part of the footrest unit, and 
 wherein rearward movement of the seat causes the at least one first link and the at least one second link to pivot and extend and causes the footrest to extend and move to the extended position in front of the seat. 
 
     
     
       2. The leisure chair with a footrest unit as claimed in  claim 1 , with the front supporting portion of the base including two front posts, with each of the two front posts having a front end, with the at least one first link including two first links pivotably connected to the front ends of the two front posts, respectively, with the at least one second link including two second links pivotably connected to the front ends of the two front posts, respectively, with the first pivotal frame having a width in the width direction smaller than a spacing between the two front posts in the width direction, and with the second pivotal frame having a width in the width direction smaller than the width of the first pivotal frame. 
     
     
       3. The leisure chair with a footrest unit as claimed in  claim 2 , with each of the two front posts of the base having a length in the forward/rearward direction larger than a half of a length of the seat in the forward/rearward direction, and with the first pivotal frame having a length in the forward/rearward direction approximately equal to the length of each of the two front posts. 
     
     
       4. The leisure chair with a footrest unit as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising two pivotal columns, with each of the two pivotal columns having an upper end and a lower end, with each of the two ends of the horizontal rod of the base including a pivotal seat pivotably connected to the lower end of one of the two pivotal columns, with each pivotal seat including a stop portion on a rear side thereof, with the stop portion of each pivotal seat limiting a rearward pivotal angle of one of the two pivotal columns, and with the upper end of each of the two pivotal columns pivotably connected to the rear side of the seat. 
     
     
       5. The leisure chair with a footrest unit as claimed in  claim 4 , further comprising at least one elastic element mounted between the seat and the base, with the at least one elastic element providing a returning force for returning the seat to the front position. 
     
     
       6. The leisure chair with a footrest unit as claimed in  claim 1 , with the backrest pivotably connected to the seat, and with a telescopic rod mounted between the backrest and the seat to permit control of a rearward inclination angle of the backrest. 
     
     
       7. The leisure chair with a footrest unit as claimed in  claim 1 , with the front supporting portion of the base including two front posts, with each of the two front posts of the base having a length in the forward/rearward direction larger than a half of a length of the seat in the forward/rearward direction, with each of the two front posts including a front end having a first pivotal portion and a second pivotal portion spaced from the first pivotal portion in a vertical direction perpendicular to the forward/rearward direction and the width direction,
 with the front rod of the seat including two fourth pivotal portions, with the front rod further including a seventh pivotal portion, 
 with the at least one first link of the footrest unit including two first links pivotably connected to the front ends of the two front posts, respectively, with each of the two first links including two ends respectively having an eleventh pivotal portion and a twelfth pivotal portion, with each eleventh pivotal portion pivotably connected to one of the two second pivotal portions of the base, with each twelfth pivotal portion pivotably connected to one of the fourth pivotal portions of the seat, 
 with the at least one second link of the footrest unit including two second links pivotably connected to the front ends of the two front posts, respectively, with each of the two second links including two ends respectively having a thirteenth pivotal portion and a fourteenth pivotal portion, with each thirteenth pivotal portion pivotably connected to one of the first pivotal portions of the base, 
 with the first pivotal frame of the footrest unit having a width in the width direction smaller than a spacing between the two front posts in the width direction, with the first pivotal frame including two first lateral beams parallel to each other and a first horizontal beam extending between the two first lateral beams, with each of the two first lateral beams having a length in the forward/rearward direction approximately equal to of the length of each of the two front posts, with the two first lateral beams symmetric to each other, with each of the two first lateral beams in the storage position including fifteenth, sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth pivotal portions arranged in sequence from a front end thereof to a rear end thereof spaced from the front end in the forward/rearward direction, with each fifteenth pivotal portion pivotably connected to one of the fourth pivotal portions of the seat and the twelfth pivotal portion of one of the two first links, with each sixteenth pivotal portion pivotably connected to the fourteenth pivotal portion of one of the two second links, 
 with the third link in the storage position including a nineteenth pivotal portion at the front end thereof and a twentieth pivotal portion at the rear end thereof, with the nineteenth pivotal portion pivotably connected to the seventh pivotal portion of the seat, 
 with the second pivotal frame including two second lateral beams parallel to each other and a second horizontal beam connected between two ends respectively of the two second lateral beams, with the second pivotal frame having a width in the width direction smaller than a spacing between the two first lateral beams of the first pivotal frame in the width direction, with each of the two second lateral beams in the storage position including a front end having a twenty-first pivotal portion and a second end having a twenty-second pivotal portion, with the second horizontal beam including a twenty-third pivotal portion, with each twenty-second pivotal portion pivotably connected to one of the seventeenth pivotal portions of the first pivotal frame, with the twenty-third pivotal portion pivotably connected to the twentieth pivotal portion of the third link, 
 with the at least one fourth link including two fourth links, with each of the two fourth links in the storage position including a front end having a twenty-fourth pivotal portion and a rear end having a twenty-fifth pivotal portion, with each twenty-fourth pivotal portion pivotably connected to one of the eighteenth pivotal portions of the first pivotal frame, and 
 with the at least one connection frame including two connection frames, with each of the two connection frames in the storage position including a front end having a twenty-sixth pivotal portion and a rear end having a twenty-seventh pivotal portion, with each twenty-sixth pivotal portion pivotably connected to one of the twenty-first pivotal portions of the second pivotal frame, and with each twenty-seventh pivotal portion pivotably connected to the twenty-fifth pivotal portion of one of the two fourth links. 
 
     
     
       8. The leisure chair with a footrest unit as claimed in  claim 7 , further comprising two pivotal columns, with each of the two pivotal columns having an upper end and a lower end, with a sideboard mounted to each of the two ends of the horizontal rod of the base, with each armrest adapted to be mounted to one of the sideboards of the base, with each of the two ends of the horizontal rod of the base including a pivotal seat having a compartment and a third pivotal portion, with the lower end of each of the two pivotal columns pivotably connected to the third pivotal portion of one of the pivotal seats, with each pivotal seat including a stop portion on a rear side thereof, with the stop portion of each pivotal seat limiting a rearward pivotal angle of one of the two pivotal columns, with each of the two lateral rods of the seat including a fifth pivotal portion pivotably connected to the upper end of one of the two pivotal columns,
 wherein when the seat moves forwards, the front side of the seat presses against the two front posts of the front supporting portion, and the two pivotal columns are substantially perpendicular to the ground, and 
 wherein when the seat moves rearwards, the two pivotal columns abut against the stop portions. 
 
     
     
       9. The leisure chair with a footrest unit as claimed in  claim 8 , further comprising at least one elastic element mounted to the seat and the base, with the at least one elastic element providing a returning force for returning the seat to the front position. 
     
     
       10. The leisure chair with a footrest unit as claimed in  claim 9 , with the at least one elastic element including two springs, with each of the two lateral rods of the seat including a peg in front of one of the fifth pivotal portions, with each of the two springs including two ends mounted to one of the pegs of the seat and one of the sideboards of the base.